SA confirmed as Champions Trophy hosts

South Africa have been confirmed as the hosts of the Champions Trophy 2009, it was revealed after a teleconference on Wednesday during which Cricket South Africa (CSA) agreed to the financial terms laid down by the ICC. The tournament will run from September 24 - October 5 and will be played at Johannesburg and Centurion.

"The CSA Board's decision to accept the financial model from the ICC to host the ICC Champions Trophy means that South Africa has yet another jewel in its crown of hosting a major international sports event," CSA chief Gerald Majola said. "The confirmation of Supersport Park and Liberty Life Wanderers as the two venues of this tournament is just reward for the outstanding cricket events that they have hosted over the past decade."

The Champions Trophy was initially scheduled for 2008 in Pakistan but most countries were apprehensive about touring the strife-torn nation prompting the organizers to postpone the tournament.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday officially named South Africa as the new hosts of the biennial Champions Trophy this year.
South Africa was recommended last week by cricket's governing body in the wake of incidents in Pakistan which have effectively put hosting cricket matches in that country off the agenda.

The International Cricket Council's decision to shift the upcoming Champions trophy to South Africa following security concerns in Pakistan will be finalised only if ICC can assure that Cricket South Africa will have no financial problems hosting it, as has happened in the past.
"We don't want to host the tournament and eventually sit with a huge account," Majola told the Afrikaans daily Beeld here, even as he confirmed that South Africa had the infrastructure and expertise to play host to the 11 other nations in the Champions Trophy.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - South Africa should host this year's Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka ruled out due to possible rain interruptions in September-October, an International Cricket Council (ICC) committee has recommended.
Pakistan was originally due to host the one-day international competition last year but after several teams voiced security concerns about playing there, the ICC reacted by postponing the event before switching venues to Sri Lanka last month.

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja said Sunday the troubled nation had done enough to reassure the world that cricket was not a target for terrorists after it was stripped of the Champions Trophy.
The International Cricket Council, meeting in Perth, Australia, decided to relocate the 2009 tournament away from Pakistan due to lingering security fears.

The International Cricket Council Sunday decided to relocate the 2009 Champions Trophy from Pakistan due to lingering fears over the security situation in the troubled nation.
Following a meeting of the ICC board here, chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the "safety and security environment" in Pakistan had forced a relocation of the eight-nation event.